Tales of Hogwarts: Megan's Story
by Annabec
Summary: I hate Draco Malfoy. I've always hated him. Now, I'm stuck in school with him all day, every day. What do I do?
1. In which we meet Malfoy

**A/N: Oh my goodness! It's been so long! All of you must've thought I died. But no, I did not. Here I am, with a new story written by my good friend, Beth Taylor. She doesn't have an account, and this is her first story. I am editing as I go, so Bethy, if you read this story, and you see something you didn't write, that's because I had to change it for spelling, grammar, and my sanity's sake. Beth will see this story as it is posted, so never fear; I am doing nothing (hopefully) that she wouldn't want me to do. We both hope you like it. **

_OC characters_

_Name: Megan Abbott_

_House: Gryffindor_

_Wand: 11 inches, maple, unicorn tail hair_

_Name: Annie Smith_

_House: Gryffindor_

_Wand: 8 ½ inches, cherry wood, griffin feather_

_Name: Annarose Malfoy_

_House: Slytherin_

_Wand: 10 ¼ inches, poplar, veela hair _

_Name: Becca McLaggen_

_House: Gryffindor_

_Wand: 8 ¼ inches, spruce, hippogriff feather_

_Name: Abigail Brown_

_House: Gryffindor_

_Wand: 8 inches, teak, salamander claw_

"I wonder what house I'll be sorted into," Megan Abbott mused. "I hope it's either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Wouldn't you just hate to be in Slytherin?" This last was directed to her best friend, Annie Smith, who was sitting across from her.

"Yeah, I know," Annie answered. Just then, a pale blond boy walked in. Draco Malfoy. "Speaking of them." Annie had grown up with Draco, and she didn't like him one bit.

"Hello ladies," Draco said, obviously trying to sound smooth. Needless to say, he failed miserably. "Fancy a guest?"

"No, not really," answered Megan, who had heard of Draco from Annie, and had been taught that the best way to handle him was with sarcasm, yelling, or firmness. Malfoy gave a small laugh.

"That's too bad, all of the other compartments are full." Annie sighed.

"So we don't have a choice?" Malfoy smirked.

"Nope." The three of them sat in silence for a while. Eventually, Megan grew uncomfortable under Malfoy's stare.

"Do you have to stare at us like that?" she snapped. "It's incredibly annoying. I am _so _glad that you will most likely be in Slytherin." She stood up and gestured to Annie, saying, "Come on, Annie. Lets go find somewhere ferret free where we can change into our robes." Annie followed her down the corridor, where they found a completely empty compartment.

"That little sneak!" Annie hissed under her breath. Megan ignored it, pushing open the door and sliding inside. The two girls sat there for a while, talking about random things, before there was another interruption.

"Excuse me, but could we join you?" asked a polite voice from the doorway. Megan and Annie jumped, not having noticed anyone.

"Oh… um… yes, yes you may," Megan stuttered, glad that it wasn't Malfoy. Annie threw a grin over her way, and Megan stuck her tongue out in return.

"Thanks," the boy said, sliding in and sitting next to Megan. "By the way, I'm-"

"Harry Potter," chorused two voices from the doorway. Two other people entered the compartment. The boy was tall, with bright red hair and blue eyes. Megan knew immediately that this must be a Weasley. The only question was, which one was he? The girl was somewhat shorter than both boys, with long, curly brown hair, and brown eyes. Megan didn't recognize her.

"I'm Megan Abbott," she said, introducing herself.

"And I'm the best friend," Annie said, grinning. "Annie Smith, at your service." The Weasley boy held out his hand for both girls to shake.

"Ron Weasley," he said, smiling. "And she-"

"Can introduce herself, Ronald," the brown haired girl snapped. She turned to Megan and Annie with a smile. "I'm Hermione Granger." She turned to Ron, who had a somewhat dazed expression on his face. "Oh, honestly, what's the matter now?" Ron pointed at Annie.

"Do you have a brother?" he asked suspiciously. Annie nodded.

"Zacharias."

"I don't like him." Annie laughed.

"Who, Zach? No one ever does. Except for himself." This made everyone laugh, especially Megan, who had met Zach before and agreed with Ron wholeheartedly. The ride passed quickly, the five first years already good friends. When the train stopped, Harry and Ron, who had been testing out Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, looked up in surprise.

"Is it over already?" Ron asked in shock. Hermione laughed, nodding. All five of them left the compartment and climbed off of the train, where a teacher told them to get into the boats that were floating on the Black Lake. Once everyone was safely in their boats, they sped magically off toward the castle.

When everyone was safely in the Entrance Hall, Professor McGonagall (who was the teacher from the platform) spoke aloud.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." [1]

The Sorting was very long. Megan was glad that she and her sister Hannah were at the top of the list, but she felt sorry for her friends, who were farther down than she was.

"Abbott, Megan," Professor McGonagall called. Megan gulped. This grimy old hat would decide her future. She just hoped that it would be the right one.

"Ah, this is difficult," the Sorting Hat said as it was placed on her head. "Plenty of courage, and a wonderful brain. You would do well in Ravenclaw, my dear, no doubt about that. But you have a wonderful sense of loyalty, that would do you well in Gryffindor, or perhaps Hufflepuff." Megan squeezed her eyes shut tight, praying for Gryffindor. It seemed that the hat could sense her thoughts, because it spoke accordingly. "Gryffindor!" Megan's face spilt in a beaming smile, and she went to sit next to a pair of redheaded twins, who clapped her on the back. Brown, Abigail and Brown, Lavender soon joined them. Another pair of twins, it seemed. Hogwarts sure had a lot of twins this year. Sandy haired Seamus Finnigan joined them next, and soon after it was Hermione's turn. Megan crossed her fingers tight, but she needn't have worried. Hermione quickly joined her at the Gryffindor table. There were a few more people sorted, and then Megan snapped her head up, not quite trusting her ears.

"Malfoy, Annarose!" A blond girl walked up to the stool and sat on it. The hat was placed on her head. She sat there for a long time, seeming to be having an argument. As Megan watched, her shoulders slumped, as if admitting defeat.

"Slytherin!" the hat called triumphantly. The Malfoy girl got off the stool and headed over to the Slytherin table, her back ramrod straight and her head high. Megan could've sworn she saw the girl's chin tremble. Not long after, the girl's twin joined her. Megan zoned out again, until it was Harry's turn. He was sorted into Gryffindor too, and he flopped on the bench beside her, letting out a relieved sigh. Soon after _that_ was Annie's turn. Megan crossed her fingers, holding her breath, but again, she needn't have worried. Annie joined her at the Gryffindor table, unlike her brother, who joined Megan's sister at the Hufflepuff table. They sat there whispering until Ron's turn. Ron had somehow turned a delicate shade of green. When he was sorted into Gryffindor, his brothers banged their heads on the table, groaning.

Finally, after everyone was sorted, the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, gave a small speech. At the end, he said

"Now, let us feast," and food magically appeared.

At the end of the feast, a prefect named Percy (who happened to be Ron's brother) led them up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Password?" a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress asked.

"Godrick," Percy responded, and the portrait swung open to reveal a hole. Everyone climbed through into the common room. "Girl's dormitories are on the right, boys are on the left. Boys are not allowed to enter the boy's dorm. I need a volunteer." Seamus Finnigan volunteered right away. As the crowd watched with bated breath, he climbed 3 stairs. Then, the stairs turned into a slide, and he slid all the way down. He landed right in front of Megan. Grinning up at her, he said in an Irish accent

"That, my friend was I falling." Megan laughed, but quickly broke it off when he added "for you." She was shocked but still managed to respond.

"Lets make sure it doesn't happen again." Then Megan, Annie, and Hermione bade Ron and Harry goodnight. They climbed up the staircase. There, on the first door they came to, was a sign saying "Year One." Annie pushed open the door and they all stepped inside.

The dormitory was big and circular. It had seven four-poster beds, two of which were already occupied by two girls.

"I hope that you don't mind that we took these beds," said the first girl. She was still wearing her robes, her hair was long and brown, and it had a pink streak and a blue streak running through it. "My name's Becca, by the way. Becca McLaggen. I have a brother in second year, but don't mind him. He's a git to the highest degree." Megan giggled.

"My name's Abigail," the second girl said quietly. She was also wearing her robes still, and her brown hair was pulled back into pigtails.

"That's fine," Megan said to Becca. "By the way, I'm Megan Abbott, and this is Annie Smith and Hermione Granger." Becca and Abigail nodded hello, and Megan, Annie, and Hermione looked for their beds. They found their stuff, already placed by a bed. All three changed into their pajamas and fell asleep.

Megan woke up early the next morning. She showered, pulled on fresh, clean, Gryffindor robes, and curled her hair. Annie did the same when _she_ woke up, but braided her hair instead of curling it. When they went downstairs to the common room, Hermione was curled up in an armchair, reading _Hogwarts, a History_. Harry and Ron were playing Wizard's chess. Actually, _Ron_ was playing Wizard's Chess. Harry was trying, but his pieces kept trying to advise him, and they were confusing him. Megan and Annie sat in silence until Harry managed to lose spectacularly to Ron.

"Want to go get some breakfast?" asked Hermione, looking up from her book.

"Sure," Annie answered. The five made their way down to the Great Hall and over to the Gryffindor table. Plates, silverware, and food were already on the tables when they sat down. There weren't many people in the Great Hall yet. Just a handful of Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, and Slytherins were awake, staring blearily down at their food. After five minutes, a pair of redheaded boys came over. Megan recognized them as the twins from last night. They sat down, one on each side of her.

"Hello, Professor wanted _us_ to distribute the schedules," said the first in an exaggerated tone of self-importance. "The name's Fred Weasley. I see you've met Ickle Ronniekins." Megan reached out and took the schedule.

"Thank you Fred and…" Megan broke off, blushing furiously.

"George, twin of Fred," he answered promptly. "I still can't understand why Minnie allowed _us _to distribute the schedules. Must've been confounded or something."

"We better head to class," interrupted Annie, raising her eyebrows at Megan. Megan blushed even harder. They got up and waved at the twins before heading off to Potions.

Potions Class was held in the deepest, grimiest part of the dungeons. While Megan was in line with the rest of the Gryffindors, trying hard not to touch the slimy walls, Malfoy sauntered over to her like he owned the school. Or at least the dungeons. Which he probably did, slimy little git.

"It's just too bad that you're in Gryffindor," Malfoy drawled loudly. "You could've been great, had better friends."

"I can make friends for myself, thanks," Megan retorted. "Looks like you've made _great_ friends."

"You shut your filthy mouth about my friends."

"Make me." Just then, Professor Snape conveniently chose this moment to open the door to the classroom.

"Abbott, that will be five points from Gryffindor," Snape said coolly, a smirk playing about his greasy features. "Class, enter." Everyone quietly walked in and took their seats.

"He had no right to take points from you," hissed Ron indignantly. "You didn't do anything." Megan smiled in response.

"Today, class," Snape barked. "We will be creating a potion. The instructions are on the board. You may begin."

Halfway through class, Snape began prowling through the class, making snide comments to all but the Slytherins. He stopped at Harry's cauldron and asked

"Tell me, Potter, can you read?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Then why is your potion bright blue?"

"I don't know sir."

"Are you able to follow directions?" Snape snapped.

"I did everything on the board," murmured Harry.

"Did you add only one drop of bile?" Snape demanded. Harry didn't answer. "If you add more than one drop, your potion turns bright blue, as yours so obviously is. This means that this mess is worthless. _Evanesco_," and with a wave of his wand, the potion disappeared. At the end of class, Snape barked

"Fill one vial with your potion, and mark it with your name. Then place it on my desk for grading, except you Mr. Potter, for you have earned a zero for the day." Megan did as she was told, then followed Harry out into the hallway. Once outside the classroom, she said

"Come on, we have to hurry to History of Magic. I don't want to run into Malfoy." All five of them hurried off. Class started two minutes after the found the classroom and took their seats. The teacher, Professor Binns, was a ghost, which would've been interesting, except for he droned on and on about the history of Hogwarts and its four founders. His voice began to put people to sleep. Only three students were furiously writing down notes. Someone was snoring halfway through class. Finally, after what seemed to be forever, class ended.

"I thought class would never end!" complained Ron dramatically. "I thought that I might just fall asleep. Binns sounds like one of those really boring articles in the Daily Prophet."

"Did you and Harry take any notes?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, for the first five minutes," mumbled Ron.

"We should head to Transfiguration," interrupted Annie. "I've heard that it's one of the hardest classes.

In Transfiguration, no one hesitated to take notes. Quills were constantly being dipped in ink and scribbling on parchment. This went on for most of the class.

"Today, we will be turning matches into needles," instructed Professor McGonagall. By the end of class, only Hermione had turned her match into a needle. Megan's had a slight point and was looking somewhat silver. The class left for lunch simply loaded down with homework. Later, over shepherd's pie, Annie asked

"So, what's your favorite class so far?"

"Transfiguration," Hermione answered promptly.

"That's because you were able to turn your match into a needle," remarked Ron. "George, pass the pumpkin juice."

"I am Fred today," answered George.

"I thought we agreed on you being Fred on Tuesdays and Thursdays," argued Fred. "Today's Monday."

"No, we said Monday and Wednesday."

"That's rubbish," Fred replied angrily.

"You two can talk later," Megan hissed, "People are starting to stare." George tried to act cool.

"Not in that way," Megan added quickly. "We have fifteen minutes before our next class, and I will be doing my homework. See you later."

On Saturday morning, Megan was walking to the library.

"Abbott, detention," snapped Professor Snape.

"What for?" asked Megan.

"Being in my way, and then acting all innocent about it. My office, just after lunch."

"Yes, sir," replied Megan, trying to conceal how angry she really was. After Snape was out of sight, Megan hurried off to the library and finished her homework. As she went off to lunch, she tried not to dwell too much on her detention, but she just couldn't help it. Her parents were going to kill her!


	2. In which there are confrontations

**A/N: Beth Taylor and Annalise are back with another installment of… Tales of Hogwarts: Megan's Story. We hope you enjoy. **

"Hey, Megan, do you want to finish our homework in the library after lunch?" Annie asked. Megan swallowed her bite of fried chicken before answering.

"Can't."

"Why not?"

"I'm in detention with Snape afterwards," Megan replied in an angry voice.

"How?" Ron asked. Apparently, he'd been listening in.

"I was in his way," Megan answered glumly.

"That's not fair! It's not even a real reason! He can't do that! He's always grumpy, and only likes the Slytherins!" Annie ranted. Megan smiled at her support, but shook her head.

"I appreciate your concern," she said. "But I'll be fine." Annie gave her a disbelieving look. Megan quickly backtracked.

"I just mean that there will be no Slytherins there," she assured her friend. "I'll be okay, really." Privately, she wasn't sure of anything. Who knew if Slytherins would be there? Not her.

Megan left lunch five minutes early so that she could make it to the dungeons on time. She walked down winding corridors and stairs with trick steps. Finally, she made it down to the slimy walkways in the dungeons. She pushed open the door to Snape's office.

"So good of you to join us," came Snape's greasy voice. Us? Who else was there? Megan walked a little farther into the room and saw Draco Malfoy standing next to Professor Snape's desk. She suppressed a shudder at the thought of spending all of detention with the slimy, evil little weasel. He stared back at her, a devilish grin forming on his pointed features. "Abbott, Malfoy, you will be serving detention in here," Snape snapped. "You will be cleaning the ingredient shelves. I have cleared everything off, and you will spend the next three hours washing, drying, and polishing them until I can see the reflection of your grimy little faces in them. If you are near death, go to the Hospital Wing. Other than that, you are not permitted to leave this room. You do not need to know where I'll be. You are not permitted to use magic. There will be no need to talk." With that, he left the room, his black cloak swirling around him and reminding Megan of an overgrown bat.

Megan and Malfoy found cleaning supplies in a closet and began to wipe the dust off of the shelves. Neither student talked for the next two hours.

"So, Megan," said Malfoy, putting down his sponge. "How did you end up here?" Megan decided to play dumb.

"At Hogwarts? I've been enrolled since birth." Malfoy glared at her. He let loose a gigantic sigh.

"No, I mean how did you get in detention," he said in a patronizing tone.

"If I wanted to tell you, you would've already known," Megan retorted. "Why on earth would I have broken that wonderful and peaceful silence?"

"I hate that Potter boy," Malfoy said in a whiny voice. Megan stayed silent. "Well, are you going to ask why?"

"Wasn't planning on it, no."

"I'll tell you anyway. It seems like this is bothering you." Something inside of Megan snapped. She whipped out her wand and held it to Malfoy's throat.

"Listen close, Malfoy," she growled. "Professor Snape said no magic for _cleaning_ purposes, but he said nothing about using magic against _each other._ Now, if you say anything more, I'll-" They were interrupted by a pretty girl with long blond hair, gray eyes, and a Slytherin crest on her robes. Her face was flushed and her tie was undone. She looked like she'd been running.

"Hey, loser," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Flitwick sent me to tell you that you have-" She broke off; noticing the position Malfoy and Megan were in. Her expression hardened. Megan quickly lowered her wand and stepped away. The girl relaxed a bit.

"Hey P-" Malfoy began. The blond girl whipped her wand out and put it to his throat so fast that if Megan had blinked, she would've missed it.

"Don't you _dare _finish that sentence," she snarled. Megan let out a small giggle. The girl dropped her wand, distracted. Malfoy took the opportunity to scurry backwards and smooth down his robes.

"Wow, Cassie," he said shakily. "Looks like you're not the only one who hates me." Cassie grinned, turning to Megan.

"Hi," she said brightly. "I'm Annarose Malfoy. Call me Rose. Who are you?"

"Megan Abbott," Megan responded. "Gryffindor. Are you and Malfoy… Brother and sister?" Rose gave Malfoy a look of extreme distaste.

"Unfortunately," she spat in his direction. "Although I prefer to refer to him as my distant cousin. You know, that way it seems like we're not really related." Malfoy glared back at her. Rose smiled sweetly. Megan noticed that her tone had acid in it when she spoke again. "May I ask why you were holding your wand to Draco's throat? Not that I object, but…"

"I told you to call me Malfoy!" Malfoy growled.

"And I told you I didn't care," Rose mimicked.

"You don't, but you should."

"Too bad."

"Rose, to answer your question, he was being an arrogant ferret," Megan interrupted. "I didn't think anyone was here, so…" Rose grinned.

"Right, so Megan, how do you feel about being, I don't know, friends?" Megan nodded. A thought occurred to her.

"Hey, Rose?"

"Hmm?"

"Who's older? You or ferret?" Rose gritted her teeth.

"Creature."

"Oh."

"Great," Malfoy grumbled. Rose and Megan turned to him.

"What?"

"My sister and my… enemy are now friends." Megan couldn't help wondering why he'd hesitated over the word 'enemy.'

Later that day, Megan and Rose were walking down by the lake.

"So, you're not one of those Slytherins who will only be friends with other purebloods?" Megan asked apprehensively. Rose laughed lightly.

"No. My family says that I go out of my way to be friends with 'mudbloods, blood traitors, and half bloods.'" She made air quotes around the words 'mudbloods, half bloods, and blood traitors.'

"No wonder Malfoy hates you," Megan mused. "Just so you know, Annie won't be happy about us being friends." She meant it as a warning, but Rose laughed again.

"Then don't tell her," she reasoned. "She doesn't need to know." Megan shrugged.

"But I don't want to lie to her," She said quietly. Rose face palmed. "I have to go finish my homework anyway. See you later." Megan climbed the hill up to the castle, only to run into Malfoy. Again.

"Move!" She yelled. He just smirked. Rose ran up the hill to her side.

"Wow, look who's friends with a Gryffindor," Malfoy sneered.

"Look who's friends with pigs," his sister countered.

"And you call yourself a Slytherin," Malfoy spat. "Hanging around with all of these Mudbloods! You might as well be a Gryffindor." Rose flinched. Megan could tell that Malfoy had hit a sore spot.

"I wish I was," she murmured softly. Then she shook herself, recovering. "And she's not a mudblood! Your just sore that she doesn't like you, you jumped up little-"

"Cass, I don't think you want to finish that sentence," Malfoy said smoothly.

"Draco, there are no words to describe the height of your stupidity," Megan said, cutting into the conversation.

"My stupidity?" Draco questioned stupidly.

"Look, Rose, he even admits to it."

"How sweet," Rose said, standing up. "Come on, Meggie, weren't you saying something about homework?"

"Yes," Megan agreed. "Bye, Draco."

Megan waited at the bottom of the staircase, waiting for it to change. Seamus came up behind her, startling her.

"Hey, Megan," he said confidently. "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

"Bye," Megan said quickly, and stepped onto the newly arrived staircase. Unfortunately, Seamus stepped on too.

"Megan, my love for you burns like a dying phoenix," he said earnestly. The staircases shifted yet again, and Megan was able to get off before he could embarrass her any further.


	3. In which a friendship is regained

**A/N: Hey, guys! Hope you like it! And go vote on the poll on my profile! DFTBA!**

A month after Megan and Rose had become friends, Megan was trudging across the common room and up the stairs to her dormitory. She was very tired. It takes a lot out of you when you are running around making friends with your enemy's sister, getting a detention, and trying to hide from a boy who seems as if he will never get over you. Throw classes and homework into that lovely mix, and you get how Megan was feeling right then. Exhausted. Megan plopped down her bed with a heavy sigh. She pulled out a quill and an inkwell from her bag and wearily began her Potions homework. It was Sunday evening already and she _still _had homework to do. Snape had assigned even more homework then usual, and, like an idiot, she had left it till the last minute.

9 pm rolled around. It was around 9:45pm when Megan finally finished the last question. She packed up her things and shoved them in her bag, hoping that they wouldn't get to wrinkled or broken. If her inkwell broke, she would fail the assignment for having illegible handwriting due to the spilled ink. It would be a very bad thing to turn in inkstained paper in all of her classes. She slid under her covers fully clothed and went straight to sleep.

-o-O-o-

In the morning, Megan stumbled tiredly down the stairs and found most of the Gryffindors crowding around a bulletin board at the far end of the room.

"What's everyone looking at?" she asked Annie, who was standing right next to her.

"Well, you know Angelina Johnson?" Annie began, taking a deep breath. Megan nodded. "She broke her arm so now Gryffindor is one Chaser short. They would need a Seeker, but Harry got that position because of how he chased after Malfoy and stuff in Flying the other day. Everyone's signing up for the trials on Saturday morning. Oh, and they're allowing First Years to try out. I suppose McGonagall heard about Slytherin allowing those two First Years on their team, and she got all competitive. You know how she gets." Megan had lost her at "I suppose." She was too busy mulling over this new turn of events. They were allowing First Years on the team! She could try out!

"Are you going to try out?" She asked Annie curiously.

"No," Annie said, smiling. "I enjoy _watching_ Quidditch. Not _playing_ it. You should try out, though. I bet you'd be great!" Megan grinned.

"I'll definitely give it a shot." She pushed through the crowd and signed her name at the bottom of the list. Right under Dean Thomas's.

"Let's go eat," Annie suggested when Megan fought her way back over to her.

"Before everyone here gets the same idea," Megan agreed, grinning.

-o-O-o-

Breakfast was uneventful. Although Draco kept staring at Megan, for reasons unknown to her. She grabbed a pice of toast and stood up, avoiding his gaze.

"Annie, I'll meet you in Potions, okay?" she called, taking a bite of toast.

"Yeah, sure," Annie called back from where she was watching Ron devour his sausages in fascinated horror.

Megan set off to find Annarose. She made it to the doors of the Entrance Hall, then stopped. Where would she find her friend? Would she have to ask Malfoy? Megan shuddered at the thought of actually asking the Malferret for favors. She pondered the question for a while before a small red headed girl left the Great Hall and passed her. Megan recognized her as one of Rose's friends.

"Hey!" she called to the girl. The girl turned around, an irritated expression on her face.

"What?" she snapped. Then she noticed Megan, and her features turned mischeivous.

"Hi," Megan began nervously. "I was wondering if you knew where Annarose Malfoy is?" The Slytherin girl got a thoughtful expression on her face before it lit up with excitement.

"The Quidditch Pitch!" she exclaimed. "Rosie told me that she wanted to get some practice in. Trials are today. I met Flint the other night, though, and he told me that Rosie has a guaranteed spot on the team, along with my friend Jesse. He's seen them fly before, and knows they'll do great. Trials are just a formality at this point. Anyway, you should find her out there. My name's Lily Kennedy, by the way. Are you Megan Abbott?" She said all of this very fast. The Quidditch Pitch! Of course! Rose was trying out for the Slytherin Quidditch team, so it made perfect sense!

"Thanks, Lily," Megan said quickly, then hurried out of the front doors into the autumn sunshine.

Rose was flying around the pitch when Megan reached it. When she spotted her, she flew over and landed next to her.

"Hey," she said, smiling warmly. Megan smiled back weakly. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you," Megan answered. "I wanted to ask you if you think I would make a good Chaser. Would I?" Rose appeared to think it over for a moment before she replied.

"I think so," she answered at last. "Why do you ask?"

"I signed up to try out on Saturday, to be Chaser. Angelina Johnson broke her arm," Megan told her friend, temporarily forgetting that Rose was a Slytherin. Rose took a deep breath, seeming to calm herself. Why, Megan didn't know. Why would Rose have cause to be nervous? Then she remembered that Rose had Quidditch trials later.

"I know you'll do great," Rose assured her. "We have five minuted to get to class. Professor Snape may not mind me being ;ate, but he won't be so forgiving to you." Megan smiled at her and hurried off to class, not noticing that Rose didn't accompany her at all.

-o-O-o-

"So, Megan, where did you disappear to during breakfast?" Annie asked when Megan slid into her seat in Potions, red-faced and out of breath from running.

"The Quidditch Pitch," Megan replied shortly, not wanting to explain that she had met up with a Slytherin there.

"Why?" Annie pressed.

"Avoiding Malfoy," Megan told her, skillfully avoiding the truth.

"Why?" Annie asked again.

"I'll tell you later," Megan told her. Procrastinating wasn't going to make the truth any easier for her best friend to swallow, but it would help Megan put off the inevitable.

"Okay," Annie answered, sounding satisfied for the time being. Megan shuddered when she thought of the questioning Annie would submit her to later.

The rest of the day passed as a blur to Megan until later that night. She and Annie were alone in the dormitory. Becca and Abigail were still at dinner and Hermione was helping Harry and Ron with their homework. Annie was pacing impatiently, waiting for Megan to leave the bathroom. Megan returned about ten minutes later, rubbing her wet hair dry with a towel.

"So, tell me what you were doing on the Quidditch Pitch," Annie demanded. "You said you would." Megan was caught off guard by the rapid-fire questions her best friend was throwing at her. She gulped, hoping to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.

"Um," she said intelligently. Annie's eyes narrowed.

"What were you doing?"

"Talking to Rose?" Megan said quietly, her voice going up at the end of the sentence and making the statement sound like a question.

"Who?" Annie asked.

"Annarose Malfoy," Megan told her, so quietly that Annie had to strain her ears to hear her.

"A Slytherin? But that's Malfoy's sister!" Annie exclaimed.

"I'm aware."

"Malfoy's your enemy!"

"Why?" Megan demanded, then caught herself. Of course Malfoy was her enemy! Why was she questioning it?

"Because he hates you! If he hates you, why wouldn't she? Siblings usually agree on this sort of thing!"

"That's not true!" Megan retorted hotly, her temper rising. "Hannah and I never agree on anything! And look at you and Zacharias! You hate each other! Is illegal now for Rose to hate _her_ brother just because he's a Malfoy?"

"Oh, does she now!" Annie shot back.

"Yes, she does! Rose is really nice! A good friend! You don't have to approve of all my friends!"

"Good, because I don't," Annie replied angrily.

"Well, I'm going to bed," Megan informed her. She climbed into bed and drew her curtains around her, trembling. Across the room, Annie could be heard doing the same. Annie and Megan had never had that big of a fight before. Would their friendship survive it?

Megan knew that telling Annie would not go well. She had to, though. It was the right thing to do. Wasn't it? Megan knew that she couldn't expect Rose to hide it from her friends, and she didn't want to hide it from her own. She wished that Annie could've understood. Then she wouldn't be lying there, questioning their eleven year friendship. On that thought, she fell asleep.

-o-O-o-

The next few mornings, it was made glaringly obvious that Megan's wish wasn't coming true any time soon. At breakfast, Annie made no move to even acknowledge Megan's presence, instead electing to sit down the table with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. In Transfiguration on Friday, Annie made a point of loudly asking, no, _telling_ Hermione to switch seats with her. Hermione looked puzzled, but willingly complied. She now shared a desk with Megan and Harry and Annie were seatmates. Annie and Megan had _always _been seatmates. Their friendship seemed to be falling apart at the seams.

Megan had a free period after Transfiguration. She used it to go hide out in the library with her well worn copy of _Hogwarts A History_. She walked back to the far corner of the library and sat down at her favorite table. It was her favorite table because it stood apart from all the others and was surrounded by bookshelves, making it a nice place to read.

"Hey, so this is where you've been hiding," she soon heard a voice say. Megan looked up to see Rose smiling down at her. She'd never realized quite how tall the Malfoy siblings were until they were both in front of her. Draco appeared from behind his sister, a petulant look on his pointed features. "I've been looking for you all day," Rose informed her.

"Why?" Megan asked confusedly, acutely aware of Draco's presence.

"To wish you luck at the trials tomorrow morning," Rose told her with a blinding smile. "Duh," she added on as an afterthought.

"Oh, yeah," Megan said stupidly. Draco snorted quietly. She glared at him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Rose replied, then spun around to face her brother, saying something that Megan couldn't make out.

"Rose," she interrupted quietly. Her friend faced her once again.

"Yeah?"

"I have to get to class. See you later?"

"Sure," Rose said warmly. "Draco and I have a free period right now. See you later, Meggie!"

"Bye." Megan gathered her things and left the library. As she headed for Herbology, she wondered what all those sympathetic glances Draco was sending her were all about. Had he heard about her fight with Annie? If he had, why did he care?

-o-O-o-

Wood's magically magnified voice rang throughout the Quidditch PItch.

"Alright, you each get five tries to get the Quaffle past me. First we'll have Dean Thomas." Dean was mediocre. He only made three goals. A few more people tried but only made one or two goals. "Seamus Finnigan." Seamus mounted his broom and kicked off from the ground, giving Megan a big smile. She did her best to return it. Then she watched as he scored one goal... two goals... three... four... five! He made all five goals easily.

Megan was sure that he'd won the Chaser position until he started showing off midair. He ended up falling one hundred feet to the hard ground. Luckily, Oliver Wood thought to whip out his wand and perform a Cushioning Charm so that Seamus's fall wouldn't hurt so badly. It still was not a pretty sight.

Wood flew down to where Seamus lay in a crumpled heap on the ground and ordered two fifth year bystanders to get him down to the Hospital Wing. His best friend, Dean Thomas, went with him.

"Well, I hope he will be okay," Wood said, sighing. "Last up is Megan Abbott." Megan nearly didn't want to try out after witnessing Seamus's traumatic accident. But then she reasoned that he had his accident because he was showing off, and she wouldn't be dumb enough to do that. _I can do this. I can do this, _she thought over and over to herself. Megan kicked off of the ground on the Cleensweep Five she had borrowed from George Weasley. She scored the first three goals, missed the fourth, but made the fifth. Four goals total, second only to Seamus. Not bad. Wood blew his whistle and everyone flew to the ground.

"Gather round," he said loudly. "Everyone did really well today. Seamus Finnigan would've been our new Chaser, however, he cannot play due to his injuries. Therefore, our new Chaser is Megan Abbott and Dean Thomas will be the reserve. Megan, welcome to the team, and inform Dean later about Reserve Chaser." Everyone gathered around her and congratulated her on the position. Even Hermione and Ron came down from the stands and gave her their congratulations. Then Megan left to go find Rose.

Rose was sitting with her back up against a tree, reading a fat book. Megan couldn't make out the title.

"Hey, I made the team," she said by way of greeting. Rose jumped up.

"Cool!" She exclaimed. Megan had a feeling that her friend's heart wasn't in it.

"Yeah," she said anyway. "I have to go find Annie. See you later?"

"Sure," Rose replied with a weary smile. Megan turned and raced away.

-o-O-o-

"Annie?" Megan called, running up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. There was no answer. She reached her room and flung the door open. Annie was sitting on her bed doing homework. Aside from her, the room was once again deserted. "Hi," Megan greeted her warily. "I made the team. I'm the new Chaser."

"Congratulations," Annie said stiffly. Megan turned to leave. "Wait," Annie said quietly from behind her. She whirled back around. "Megan, I wanted to say I'm sorry. I truly am. I was wrong to yell at you like that."

"Annie, I should've told you sooner," Megan told her.

"It was your choice to tell me," Annie said quietly. "I'm glad you finally did. I guess I just felt a little jealous of how you seem to get along with everybody."

"Not everybody," Megan reminded her. "Malfoy still hates me." The two girls lapsed into a giggle fit for a few minutes before quieting. In a silent agreement, they were friends again.

"Hey, Megan?" Annie said after a heartbeat.

"Yeah?"

"Let's go eat lunch."

"You and your stomach," Megan teased her best friend lightheartedly, racing her down the stairs.

-o-O-o-

After lunch, Megan was once again on her way to the library. She passed her twin sister in the hallway.

"Hey, Hannah," She greeted her stiffly. The two girls were more like distant relatives then sisters.

"Hi, Megan," Hannah greeted her slightly more warmly. "I heard you're the new Gryffindor Chaser. Is that correct?"

"You heard right."

"Cool. See you around," Hannah said, then waved and walked away. Megan continued on her route to the library, slightly confused about the whole point of the exchange.

-o-O-o-

Megan dropped off a book she had needed for History of Magic at the library and walked back to the common room. She and Annie played Exploding Snap until dinnertime.

At dinner, most of Gryffindor came over to congratulate the small Chaser.

"How's Seamus?" She asked Dean.

"Madam Pomfrey said he'll be as right as rain in the next week or so," Dean answered. Megan nodded, then remembered Wood's message.

"Oh, Wood told me to tell you that you're Reserve Chaser," she told the boy in front of her.

"Wicked!" Dean exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. "I can't wait to tell Seamus!"

-o-O-o-

That night, Megan went to bed feeling more tired then she'd ever felt in her entire life. In one week she'd singlehandedly made the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, lost her best friend, gained her best friend back, and Annie had accepted her friendship with Rose. _Today was amazing,_ she thought as she fell asleep with a smile on her face,


	4. In which the blood is the same

**A/N: Ok, Lise here. Beth and I start school on Wednesday, and we're trying to churn out two chapters before then, so don't blame us for the crappy quality or the length. We're just trying to make you flying monkeys happy.**

The next day, Megan quickly got ready for class, and then waited for Annie, as she usually did while they were on speaking terms. When Annie had _finally _decided which shirt to wear, she asked,

"Can we go to breakfast? I'm starving."

"Of course you are," Megan replied sardonically, smiling. The two girls left the dormitory and went downstairs. The moment they sat down in the Great Hall, Annie began loading her plate with pancakes and sausages. Megan laughed quietly to herself and began to do the same. Their breakfast was interrupted a little while later by Katie Bell, one of the other Gryffindor Chasers. She came over to where they were sitting and tapped Megan on the shoulder. Megan turned her head to recieve the message Katie had for her.

"Wood told me to tell you that we have a mandatory practice tonight after dinner. It starts at seven and will go as long as it needs to," the second year informed her.

"Thanks, Katie." Megan knew that Wood wanted to practice as much as possible. He had two new players on the team and wasn't taking any chances.

Over the next month, Megan was nearly driven to tears by Wood's maniacal need to practice. He scheduled regular practices on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but as the Gryffindor Team neared their first match, he sceduled them everyday, including weekends. Finally, the night before the match arrived. Megan was excited, but very, very nervous. There were two very large problems with the upcoming match against Slytherin. The first: Megan didn't know if Rose would make an allowance for her, despite their friendship, because Rose hadn't spoken to her in a month. Which brought her to the second: She'd actually be facing her friend as an enemy, and she didn't think it was possible. And that gave her a third problem: she'd get teased by her friends and Draco if Gryffindor lost. Megan, that is. Not Rose. She didn't even know if Rose cared what she thought, because _they hadn't spoken in a month. _Speaking of getting teased...

Draco, his goons and his sister walked by Megan's table in the library.

"Ready for defeat tomorrow?" jeered the head goon. Megan waited for Rose to snap at him, but her friend just avoided her gaze.

"You wish, Malfoy," she replied absently, checking over her Potions essay for the fourth time.

"You know, you could be Slytherin's ticket to victory," Malfoy snapped. Again, Megan waited for Rose's reprimand, but instead, she just giggled softly. _Traitor,_ Megan thought angrily, but composed herself enough to snap back at the Malferret. It was a far better use of her time.

"Whatever, Malfoy." Then she turned back to her homework, pulling out her unfinished questions from page 394 of her Charms book. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Malfoy, Rose, and the goons walk toward another table in the library. Malfoy's shoulders slumped dejectedly, and Megan noticed that Rose had her arm around him, whispering in his ear. The scene made her want to jump up and apologize to him for snapping at him; to comfort him somehow. Wait! Did her brain seriously just come up with those thoughts? Did she really want to go over and _comfort_ the Malferret? She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thought. _I need to out of here, now, _Megan told herself. She packed up her unfinished homework, got up, and almost ran out of the library and back to Gryffindor tower.

For the rest of the day, Megan avoided Malfoy like a plague. She hid in Gryffindor Tower for her free periods. She went to lunch at the earliest time that they would allow and ate in record time. For all of her classes with him, she arrived as late as she could without being tardy and sat on the opposite side of the room from him to avoid confrontation or communication of any kind.

Before long, dinnertime had arrived. Megan successfully avoided Malfoy by going over and sitting right next to the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, that included Harry. She had also long forgotten the un-Meganlike thoughts that had plagued her in the library.

"Ready for practice, Harry, Megan?" Alicia Spinnet asked. She was a pretty third year, with long, light brown hair that swished when she moved. Megan noticed George Weasley following Alicia's movements out of the corner of his eye and stifled a giggle. Harry took a long drink of his pumpkin juice before nodding.

"Yeah," Megan answered, still watching George. "Ready as I'll ever be." George noticed all of a sudden that he was being watched. The rest of the team laughed out loud as their Beater turned bright red and slopped pumpkin juice down the front of his robes. All except for Alicia.

"I hate it when that happens," she told him sympathetically, and handed him a napkin to mop up his front, causing his ears to go even redder. Fred caught Megan's eye across the table and winked, causing her to giggle.

"Alright, team," Oliver Wood said, taking a last bite of his shepard's pie and standing up. "Practice time."

Wood held practice for and hour and a half. Then it started to get dark, so he reluctantly called the team down from the air. After the team had put away their brooms, he had them sit down on the changing room benches and gave them a long lecture about the next day's game. Megan noticed Fred Weasley start to nod off on Katie Bell's shoulder. Katie slapped his face gently and told him to wake up. He did so, before his twin brother actually fell alseep on the shoulder of Alicia Spinnet. Alicia, unlike Katie, let the Weasley twin sleep, instead of waking him up. After what seemed like ages, Wood finally dismissed his tired team, a bit reluctantly. Megan plodded up to her dormitory with Katie and Alicia, before they separated at the landing; Katie to go up another floor and Alicia to go up two to reach their dormitories. Megan took a nice hot shower, changed into her pajamas, flopped into bed, and immediately fell sound asleep.

-o-O-o-

Megan was quite nervous the next morning. She sat at the Gryffindor table, staring at her breakfast. It made her feel nauseous. Eventually, with quite a bit of coaxing from Annie, that eventually turned into death threats, she ate a few nibbles of dry toast. Down the table, she could see Hermione and Ron doing the same thing to Harry. He looked over and grimaced at her, and she grimaced sympathetically back, making him crack a weak smile.

"It's time," Wood said hoarsely to his team, getting up and leaving the hall. The other six quickly followed suit.

Megan walked out on the pitch with her team, clutching her new Cleansweep 5 in her left hand. Her palms were sweaty, and she felt sick. She scanned the stands for her friends and saw Annie sitting with Hermione and Ron, who were holding up a banner they'd made saying "Potter for President." Her best friend gave her a cheeky wave, and Megan smiled back, then turned to focus on the approaching, emerald clad Slytherin team. Each player on that team had much newer models in their hands, and they all lined up, shoulders rolled back and extremely intimidating looks on their faces. All except Rose and her friend Jesse, who looked like they were holding in laughter. Madam Hooch instructed Oliver Wood and the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, to shake hands. They did so, Flint seeming like he was trying to crush the life out of Oliver's hand.

"Mount your brooms," the Quidditch referee called. "On my whistle. Three... two... one!" Fourteen players shot into the air, Flint and Wood quickly making their way to their respective goal hoops.

"The snitch is released!" yelled Lee Jordan, who was commentator. Megan knew Harry would be tracking it obsessively with his eyes. "And the match begins!" Madame Hooch threw the Quaffle up in the air. "Bell catches the Quaffle, and... SCORE!" Lee yelled. "Ten points to Gryffindor! Take that, you slimy-"

"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall yelled.

"Sorry Professor." Megan noticed Adrian Pucey of Slytherin catch the Quaffle and make a mad fly for the Gryffindor goal. She raced after him. One of the Weasley twins, she couldn't tell which, hit a bludger at the Slytherin, causing him to drop the Quaffle. "Pucey drops the Quaffle! Abbott catches the Quaffle and throws it to Spinnet. Quick little thing, that girl, and only a first year, too!" Megan grinned, having made her most successful pass yet.

"Spinnet puts it away for another ten points! Gryffindor leads Slytherin twenty to zero! Take that, Slytherin!"

"Jordan!"

"Sorry, Professor. Lundy takes the Quaffle and scores. Ten points to Slytherin." Wood threw the Quaffle to Alicia, who immediately passed it to Megan. Down the pitch they went, tossing it back and forth like they'd practiced so many times. But they hadn't factored in Rose. As Megan caught the Quaffle and got nearer to the Slytherin Keeper, Miles Bletchley, Rose hit a Bludger at her, causing her to duck and drop the Quaffle. "Abbott drops the Quaffle, dodging a Bludger hit by Malfoy, damn you you slimy, good for nothing-"

"Jordan!"

"I'm telling it like it is, Professor! Flint takes the Quaffle and puts it away. Slytherin scores. The score is now tied at twenty to twenty." As the game went on, Gryffindor and Slytherin were each able to score another three goals, tying the score at fifty to fifty. "And the score is tied. fifty to fifty," Lee announced glumly. "Come on, Gryffindor! Whip their slimy arses!"

"Jordan, I'm warning you..."

"Sorry, Professor. Lundy has the Quaffle. Passes it to Flint... who drops it. The Quaffle is caught by Abbott." Megan gripped the Quaffle firmly and raced toward the goal hoops, determined to score at least once. "Abbott scores! Bletchley gives the Quaffle to Flint. He passes it to Lundy... but is intercepted by Bell! Well done, Gryffindor! Ooh, that's going to leave a mark! Malfoy hits Bell with a hard hit Bludger." Katie looked dazed, but managed to stay on her broom. The Quaffle was free falling toward the Earth. Megan raced to capture it, but Pucey got there first. "Pucey scores. The score is tied sixty to sixty. Was that the Snitch?" Time seemed to slow down as Harry and the Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs raced neck and neck toward the ground. "Higgs captures the Snitch. Bad luck, Potter. Slytherin beats Gryffindor two hundred and ten to sixty." Higgs touched down to the ground and waved the Snitch triumphantly above his head. The Slytherin supporters erupted into cheers. Megan could see Rose's friends and Draco making their way down to the pitch to congratulate their team. She also noticed Rose's friend and teammate pick Rose up and swing her around. Then the two of them joined their team in the victory lap around the pitch. Boos could be heard from the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Megan and the rest of the Gryffindor team touched down to the ground and dejectedly made their way back to the changing rooms. The feeling of defeat was slowly starting to sink in. Once Megan was showered and changed, she met up with Annie outside of the changing rooms.

"Hey, Meg," her best friend greeted her.

"Hey, Annie."

"You did really well today. I know you did your best and that's what counts." Megan's head snapped up.

"Thanks. But that wasn't my best. If it was my best, we would've won."

"You're welcome. You'll win the next one, don't worry."

"Annie, just so you know, I've already heard this lecture. From Wood. And I don't want to hear it again," Megan said, smiling half heartedly. Annie laughed and linked her arm through Megan's, leading her back to the Common Room.

At lunch, Draco came over, no doubt to gloat about Slytherin's victory.

"Hey, I was right," he sneered.

"About what?" Megan asked. "How you're eventually going to be reclaimed by ferrets and made their slave?"

"About how Slytherin would win."

"Pity. I had hoped that the ferrets would see sense." Draco got a very ugly look on his face. His voice dropped so that Megan could barely hear it.

"At least I'm not a filthy little Mudblood," he spat maliciously. Megan recoiled like she'd been slapped. She got up and dashed from the hall, not wanting her archenemy to see her cry. She ran to her dormitory and flung herself on her bed, tears streaming down her face. Draco Malfoy was cruel and cold hearted, but she'd never thought he'd stoop so low as to use the word "mudblood." And what positively baffled her was why she cared so much about the fact that is was he who had called her that, not the name itself. The name was irrelevant. But Draco... She didn't know what to make of her treacherous thoughts.

Megan stayed in that position until dinnertime. When she knew that everyone else would be feasting in the Great Hall, she snuck down to the kitchens. She didn't want to see Draco now that she felt how she did, and she knew that she would see him if she went to the Great Hall. But what gave her a big shock was that after she'd tickled the pear and the painting had swung open to allow her access, she saw Draco Malfoy sitting at a table, angrily chopping away at an apple until there was nerly nothing left but mush.

"What _are_ you doing here?" she snapped, wanting to eat her harsh words the second they left her mouth.

"Why do you care?" he sniped back. Megan took a calming breath.

"I don't fancy seeing your face while I digest my dinner."

"I thought you'd be sulking in the Great Hall with the rest of the Gryffindor Loser Squad."

"You just think you're so great, but news flash! You're just an arrogant toerag, and I hate you!" Megan really wanted to take back those words now. Especially when Draco's gray eyes flashed a murderous black.

"Why do you think I'd care?" He snapped. "You're just a filthy Mudblood." Megan knew that these words were meant to hurt her, but the hurt seemed to have been drained out of her. All that was left was empty space. She gazed at the Slytherin heartthrob with an unreadable expression on her face before she walked stiffly past him to the table where he'd been murdering the apple. She picked up the sharp knife and turned to face him. Draco stepped back, a bit alarmed at the sight of the girl holding a sharp object. Megan laughed harshly.

"I am not going to maime you, although the thought is tempting," she informed him, in a voice devoid of any emotion. Then she brought the knife to her fingertip and made a deliberate cut. The bright red blood flowed freely to the floor, but she stood there like a statue, making no move to clean it up.

"What did you do?" Draco yelped, stepping back against the wall, eyes tightly shut.

"See, Draco?" Megan asked quietly, leaving his question hanging in the air unanswered.

"See what?" he asked, eyes still shut tight. The young girl sighed heavily.

"My blood, Draco." The boy opened his eyes and glanced at the floor, looking slightly sick, before meeting her eyes defiantly.

"What about it?" Megan chose her words carefully, hoping to make him understand.

"It's not mud, Draco," she told him softly. "It's the same as yours."

"NO!" Draco yelled, before turning, throwing the kitchen door open, and running away. Megan gazed frustratedly after him, blood still dripping from her finger down to the floor and mingling with the other blood and overturned apple mush that lay there.


	5. In which old wounds are reopened

**A/N: OK, so Beth and I are going to try to stick to a schedule this school year. Every other week, I will update TOHRS. On the weeks that I do not, Beth and I will update this story, TOHMS. Thanks for your patience, and just know that my life is really busy at the moment, so I'm going to do my best. **

In the weeks after the kitchen incident, Draco seemed to avoid Megan at all costs. She told herself it didn't bother her at all. We will never know if that is true or not. But she couldn't help wondering what he thought of her. She hoped that he would think of her as an equal, not an inferior being. Not a "Mudblood." He had no idea how badly it had hurt her to hear that from someone, especially him. Megan had cut her finger to show him that there was no such thing, to prove to him that she wasn't who he thought she was. She closed her textbook, lost in thought.

"Megan. Megan. Megan!" Annie tried and failed to get her friend's attention. She snapped her fingers in front of Megan's face in annoyance. Fortunately, that did the trick. Megan finally turned to look at her.

"Hmm?"

"You okay?" Annie asked, worried for her friend's mental health. Megan blanched.

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, your face is pale, you had this blank look, plus you were staring at Malfoy."

"Oh, well..." Megan stammered, not wanting to blush in front of her friend.

"Megan..."

"I was just thinking," she told Annie, blushing furiously. Annie raised her eyebrows at Megan, and Megan looked down, angry with herself. She hadn't even noticed that Draco was in the library, let alone that she was staring at him. Did he notice her staring? Or was he equally oblivious to her presence? She hoped he hadn't noticed. Now that Annie had pointed him out, her eyes wouldn't stop wandering over to him. She had so many questions about and for him, but no way of getting answers. Megan sighed and went back to her homework.

As lunchtime approached, the Malfoy twins and their multitude of friends from Slytherin left the library, leaving it feeling quite empty. Draco turned to look at Megan with a grin on his face. Megan smiled back at him, before she'd even realized that she'd done it. Draco turned back to talk to his sister. He seemed happy, instead of his usual cruel and heartless self. He had even smiled at her. She'd smiled back. What was that about? Maybe... but Megan barely dared to think of that happening. Maybe he'd finally realized that there was no such thing as a Mudblood. That might explain why she'd smiled back at him. Otherwise, that would never have happened. Or at least, that's what she told herself. Satisfied with her explanation of the situation, Megan nearly skipped to lunch, but stopped after Madam Pince gave her a dirty look.

-o-O-o-

"Megan, what was that whole lovey-dovey smile thing with Malfoy in the library about?" Annie asked suspiciously when Megan reached the Gryffindor table and sat down.

"Smile thing with Draco?" Megan asked curiously. "What are you talking about?" Annie rolled her eyes fondly.

"Oh, come on. He smiled at you, and you smiled back. Then you got caught skipping to lunch," she explained. Then she furrowed her brow. "Did you just call him Draco?" Megan's heart leapt up into her throat. She thought fast, then came up with what was to her a plausible explanation.

"I don't call people by their last names." Annie smirked.

"Never stopped you before, did it?" Megan blushed and ducked her head, missing her friend's knowing look. "But that's beside the point, anyway."

"I wasn't aware that there was a point."

"Do you like him?" Megan's head snapped up.

"What?" Annie's gaze was steady, no trace of humor about her features to show that she was joking. Megan gulped. Her friend really was serious.

"Do you?"

"No!" Megan cried. She grabbed her book bag and strode angrily out of the Great Hall.

"She so likes him," Annie muttered to Fred and George, who had sat down across from her. Their faces broke into identical evil grins as they asked,

"Who?"

-o-O-o-

Megan stomped out to a large pile of boulders near the lake and plopped herself down. She stared out at the horizon, thinking about what Annie had said.

"It's nice out here, isn't it?" A voice said from behind her.

"Yes, it is," Megan answered, before turning her head to see who she was talking to. Draco Malfoy smiled hesitantly at her, no trace of his usual smirk. _I thought all Malfoys came with a smirk, _She thought, smiling to herself.

"No craziness," Draco continued. "And the sky is finally clear." Megan nodded, thinking _the weather is quite possibly the only thing that I can agree on with Draco Malfoy. _She rubbed the slash on her finger, before noticing an inflamed gash across Draco's whole hand that didn't seem to be healing. Had he done it himself? And if so, why?

"What happened to your hand?" She asked before she knew what she was saying. He seemed to be surprised.

"Cut it."

"Why?" Draco looked down.

"None of your business." Megan scooted over next to him and took his hand, tracing the infected cut with her fingers.

"You need to get this checked," she murmured. Draco shook his head, not taking his hand from hers, like he normally would've done.

"I don't need to," he said stubbornly.

"Yes, you do," Megan retorted.

"How would you know?"

"My parents are doctors, that's like a Healer in the Muggle world. Your hand is infected, and it's not going to get better unless you let someone look at it," she told him softly.

"Fine," he sighed. Then Draco snapped his head up to look her straight in the eye. "Could you?" Megan was taken aback.

"Er..." she replied intelligently.

"Please?" she was so thrown off by his saying 'please' that she agreed against her better judgment.

"Fine," Megan relented. Draco grinned at her. She busied herself in getting lake water to dab on the wound, effectively cleaning it. Then she ripped off the hem of her robe and wrapped it around his hand, securing it tightly with a charm. "Done." The boy looked at his bandaged hand, looking at it in wonder.

"Teach me," he said.

"Excuse me?"

"Teach me how to do this." Megan smiled a little.

"Or you could just come running to me or Madam Pomfrey with every little scratch." Draco smiled back.

"True." Megan took a deep breath, finally asking the question that had been niggling on her mind ever since she saw the cut.

"Why do you have that cut on your hand, anyway?" Immediately, she knew it was the wrong thing to say.

"You have one on yours," he retorted, all of his walls going back up.

"Yes, but I did it to show you that my blood is normal, not mud!"

"So? Since when do you care so much about what I do?"

"I don't!"

"Then why did you bandage my hand?" Megan stood up.

"Because I felt bad for you!" And with that, she stomped away, leaving Draco behind. He watched her grow smaller and smaller in the distance, feeling lonelier then he ever had in his short life.  
>-o-O-o-<p>

Megan pulled out her Cleansweep 5 and carried it to the Quidditch Pitch. A gentle breeze blew through, brushing her hair back. She mounted the broom and kicked off hard, rising into the air. For the next ten minutes, she circled the Pitch, trying to get her mind off of Draco Malfoy. Megan wondered why he refused to answer her question. She supposed that if worst came to worst, she could always ask Rose, but Draco's sister hadn't spoken to her in a month. There was no guaranteeing that she would now, either. Megan leaned forward and steered her broom back down to the ground. After she dismounted, she put her broom away and made her way back into the school.

"Hey, Abbott!" Rose hailed her cheerfully the second she set foot on the main staircase.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen my brother?"

"Last I saw him was by the boulders near the Black Lake."

"Thanks!" Rose passed Megan and dashed out the door. The siblings had become nearly inseparable over the past month. Megan couldn't figure out why. Then again, most things confused her when it came to the Malfoy twins, Draco in particular. She made her way up to the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked, just like most days.

"Godric," Megan answered. The portrait swung open, and the young Gryffindor climbed through into her common room. From there, she dashed through and up the stairs to her dorm, ignoring the sideways glances from Fred, George, and Annie. She sat on her bed and pulled out her homework, beginning the one hundred questions from pages five hundred and five hundred and one in her Charms textbook. Megan had only gotten to question ten when she was interrupted by Abigail.

"Megan, there's a boy who wants to talk to you. I think he's in Ravenclaw. He said he'll wait for you out by the boulders," Abigail informed her. "I think it was really important." Megan thanked her, grabbed her cloak, and hurried out to the lake, wondering _what Ravenclaw boy wants to talk to me, and do I even know them? _When she reached the boulders, the boys standing there were certainly not Ravenclaws.

"What do you want?" She snapped. Draco took a small step backward, whispering to his friends,

"I can't do this." The tall, dark haired boy on the right seemed to agree, but the light brown haired one pinched Draco's arm so hard he yelped and pushed him forward until he was standing in front of Megan again. "I... I... wanted to tell you something," he said awkwardly. Megan raised her eyebrows,

"Well?

"I'msorryforcallingyouaMudblood," Draco said very quickly.

"Excuse me?" Megan asked, not quite sure what exactly she'd just heard.

"I'm sorry for calling you a Mudblood," the boy said again. She smiled, wanting to see if she could make him apologize again.

"You're what?"

"Please don't make me say it again," Draco pleaded. "I hate this." Megan sighed, not wanting to tell him what he really needed to hear, then mentally slapping herself for it.

"Do you expect me to forgive you?" All three boys looked shocked.

"Um... yes?" Draco said hesitantly. The lighter haired boy slapped a palm to his forehead while the dark haired one just shook his head.

"Well, too bad for you, because I can't," Megan told him, feeling sick.

"W...why not?" Draco asked in a tiny voice. She hated doing this to him, but it needed to be done. He couldn't just call people names and get away with it.

"Because, _Malfoy_, calling me a 'Mudblood' is just sick. It's going to take a lot more then words to fix it." Megan turned and walked away, nearly on the verge of vomiting at the sight of the completely and deeply hurt look on Draco's face.


	6. In which there are questions and kisses

**A/N: Okay, so it might be a day late. Or not. Oh well. It's here now, isn't it?**

Megan shifted restlessly on her bench. She risked a quick glance up, and noticed that Draco was talking to a boy with light brown hair. It was one of the boys who had been with him on that day when he had... apologized. She still had trouble connecting the two images in her mind. Draco apologizing was _not _a normal occurrence at all. Megan could still clearly visualize the hurt in his eyes whenever she closed her own. The image was there, stamped permanently on the forefront of her brain. She hated herself for it. Why had she been so harsh? There had been no need for that. He was just trying to be considerate, and she had completely ruined the moment. Megan stabbed angrily at her food, mutilating it till it was practically beyond recognition. She finally managed to pick up a tiny piece of chicken and shoved it furiously in her mouth.

"Megan!" Annie said, her voice raised. Megan whirled her head around, finally noticing that her friend had been poking her for the last ten minutes. "Are you even listening to me?" the blond girl asked.

"Er... yes?" Megan lied. Annie shook her head, then went on with her story.

"So, as I was saying..." Megan tuned her friend out for a while. Then, just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, she made up an excuse and ducked out of the Great Hall, much to the irate Annie's dismay. Megan wandered around the halls a bit, then decided to go outside. She found a tree, sat down, and leaned against it, hiding her face in her knees.

"What's wrong?" asked a familiar voice that was laced with uncharacteristic concern. Draco stepped out from behind the tree and sat down next to her.

"Nothing," Megan sniped, then immediately regretted it as Draco's face fell a bit. She wondered why he was even talking to her. She had really upset him a few days ago. Why on earth would he still be talking to her?

"Sorry," she said quickly, running a frustrated hand through her hair. "But... why do you ask?"

"I'm curious," Draco said simply, lying back on the grass and staring up at the sunlight filtering through the leaves of the tree.

"Are you feeling alright?" Megan asked quickly, bringing her hand up to 'check his temperature.' Or at least, that's what she told herself.

"Why do _you_ ask?" Draco shot back, not making any moves to remove her hand from his forehead like normally would have done.

"Well, since when do you care about my well-being?" she asked softly.

"Since when do _you_ care about _mine?_" Draco returned, sitting up to face her.

"Er... I don't..." she stammered, playing with a strand of her hair.

"Don't what?" he asked, leaning closer. Didn't he know that he was killing her? What was wrong with him?

"I have to go," she exclaimed, jumping up.

"Megan!" Draco said quietly, standing up to face her once again.

"No," she whispered, turning her face away from him.

"You're so jumpy," he said, chuckling. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" She said loudly, trying to convince herself and him.

"No, you're not," he said, putting a gentle hand on her arm. "Please, tell me what's wrong."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I can't." Then, before she could tell him how worried she was about him, she stretched up on her tiptoes, kissed him on the cheek, turned, and sprinted toward the castle.

-o-O-o-

Megan woke up the next morning and found herself still in her robes from the day before. She wrinkled her nose, grabbed clean robes, and headed off for the shower. She showered, brushed through her wet hair, and headed off to breakfast, having completely forgotten what had happened the day before.

"You look happy this morning," Annie commented sleepily. Megan shrugged.

"I'm just in a good mood this morning. Is that bad?"

"No," Annie conceded, then proceeded to ladle herself a bowlful of hot, steaming oatmeal. Breakfast ended about twenty minutes later. Megan nearly had to drag her best friend away from breakfast to Herbology.

"Megan!" Annie whined shrilly.

"Did you want to be late?" Megan asked sternly, reminding herself of her mother.

"No," Annie admitted reluctantly.

"I didn't think so," Megan said, smiling at her friend and hurrying into Potions. Classes went by quickly, and before they knew it, lunchtime had rolled around.

"I can't believe Snape assigned us three rolls of parchment!" Annie griped as she and Megan walked to lunch.

"I know. He didn't even give the Slytherins homework," Ron agreed, sitting down next to her.

"He did too, Ronald," Hermione informed him. As the two of them bickered, Megan ate quickly and hurried off to the library. She sat down at her usual table in the back and began to research the twenty-seven magical properties of a phoenix tear.

"Hey," Draco said, sitting down across from her.

"Hi," Megan greeted him cordially, not even looking up. She didn't dare face him. What if he hated her after yesterday?

"I wanted to... er... ask you... er... ask you something."

"Okay. What is it?" she asked. He had her full attention now. She was looking straight at him, ignoring the homework that lay in front of her. Draco, on the other hand, was looking down, his ears a delicate shade of pink.

"Well, I wanted to know... if you'd... do you..."

"Draco, just ask the bloody question," Megan snapped impatiently.

"Fine," he retorted, his head snapping up. "Megan, will-" Draco was interrupted by the bell.

"I have to get to class," Megan told him apologetically. "Maybe after dinner." He nodded mechanically as she swung her bag over her shoulder and headed to class. Once she got there, she tried her best to focus, but her thoughts kept coming back around to the same question: What did Draco want from her? _Probably answers to the Potions homework, _she thought ruefully.

"Megan?" Annie asked on their way to Charms. "Are you feeling alright?

"Yeah," Megan answered slowly. "Just tired."

"What's on your mind?" her friend asked, unwilling to let the subject drop that quickly.

"Nothing," Megan told her quietly. "Now hush."

"Is it Malfoy?" the question was spoken in a low tone, but it rang through Megan's head like an obnoxious bell.

"No. Now _shut it."_ Megan could feel herself blushing, and hoped that Annie didn't notice. Unfortunately, her friend noticed. She noticed very clearly. And she was determined to find out why Malfoy was on Megan's mind.

After what seemed like ages, the girls were allowed to go to dinner. Megan was very anxious to find out what Draco had on his mind. She glanced over to where he was sitting in his usual spot at the Slytherin table. Draco noticed Megan looking at him and nodded toward the Entrance Hall. She smiled and slipped through the doors.

"So, what were you going to ask me?" she demanded the minute he had exited the Great Hall.

"Oh..." Draco stuttered. It was clear he was stalling.

"What?"

"I... um... wanted to... um... ask-" the Slytherin boy was interrupted by everyone's favorite Weasley twin, Fred. And note the sarcasm.

"Megan, we've got Quidditch practice now," he told her, a puzzled look on his face when he noticed Draco.

"I'm coming," she assured him. Fred nodded and continued on his way to the Quidditch Pitch.

"Meet me after practice by the boulders," Draco hissed. Megan nodded, then dashed to catch up with Fred. All though practice, she couldn't stop thinking of Draco. He was just about to ask her (again) and Fred had to come and ruin it. After about an hour of practicing, it grew dark and Wood decided to call it a night. Megan changed in the changing room, and then slipped away to meet Draco.

"Megan," he said quietly when she reached the boulders.

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say..."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you kiss me?" Megan froze. No. No, no, no. He wasn't supposed to remember that. She turned tail and fled back to the castle without even giving him a decent answer.

-o-O-o-

Two weeks passed, and she didn't speak to anyone.

-o-O-o-

November came and went.

-o-O-o-

"Megan Abbott!" Annie screamed Megan's name at the top of her lungs.

"Yeah?"

"She's alive!" Hermione sounded triumphant. Megan could hear the sounds of giggling.

"Yes, I'm alive," she said grumpily, yanking the covers off of her head. Annie dashed over and pounced on Megan's bed, making it rock with the added weight. "I'm up!" Megan said quickly, leaping up. She slipped on a pair of slippers and glanced over at the calendar. December 16th.

"It's almost Christmas," Annie told her, coming over to stand next to her.

"I can see that,"" Megan said, smiling. She turned away from the calendar and went to look out of the window. "Annie! Guys!" she shrieked excitedly. The other girls turned to look at her.

"What?" Becca asked confusedly.

"It's snowing!" The other four girls rushed over to the window, causing Megan to step back. Annie soon drifted over to join her.

"Care to tell me why you were acting to weird for the past month?" she asked quietly, amidst squeals of excitement coming from the other girls.

"Yeah," Megan told her.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Why did you act weird?" Megan looked wildly around, then spotted her bed. She made a run for it, leaped, and then hid under the covers. Annie came over and prodded her. "Tell me!" Megan felt the blankets being ripped away from her head, and knew she'd have to tell her friend. Taking a deep breath, she poked her head out from under her pillow and blurted out,

"I kissed Draco Malfoy."


	7. In which her mom is crazy and SA

**A/N: Hey, Lise here. Technically, this chapter shouldn't be posted until December, but since Beth and I are uncommonly nice people, we're posting it very early. I hope you like it.**

"What?" Annie squealed excitedly.

"Shh," Megan hissed. "Keep your voice down." When she had made the decision to tell her best friend about kissing the Slytherin, she'd expected revulsion and disgust, not excitement. Her nerves weren't prepared for that.

"Well," Annie pressed. It had been a whole five minutes, and she still couldn't believe that her friend had kissed the arrogant git. Megan groaned and hid her face in her arms. "At least tell me what happened," Annie pleaded. Megan sighed. She couldn't deny her friend that. When she'd finished her explanation, Annie gasped, but grinned widely.

"What?" Megan asked wearily. She was through with this whole thing. Now she was wishing that it had never even happened.

"What was it like?" Annie begged. Megan furrowed her brow.

"I kissed his cheek, Annie."

"So? It's still a kiss."

"It doesn't count."

"Does too."

"Does not."

"Does too."

"Forget it. I'm going to go shower. Megan dashed to the bathroom and slammed the door, glad to be rid of her friend's questions. Sometimes she wondered why she put up with it.

At breakfast, Annie didn't question her about Draco at all, and Megan was thankful, although she wondered if it was just because there were other people about.

"Are you going home for Christmas?" Annie asked. Megan nodded.

"Hannah and I are going on Saturday. How about you?"

"My parents are taking Zacharias and I to the seaside for the holiday. It's bound to be simply thrilling." Megan noticed the sarcasm that laced her friend's tone and smiled to herself. After breakfast, they left for their last day of classes before school let out for the Holidays. By the end of the day, they had enough homework to last them until Easter. At least, that's what Ron said, and Annie agreed with his wholeheartedly. Megan and Hermione just rolled their eyes.

-o-O-o-

On Saturday morning, Megan was checking her trunk to make sure that she'd packed everything that she'd need until December 31st. She was in no hurry, as she and Hannah were taking the train that left at three, instead of the one that left at ten.

At breakfast, she noticed Draco amongst his friends, laughing at something that a pretty redhead had said to his sister. Jealousy surged through her before she remembered that she wouldn't see him for two weeks anyway, and that she needed to get over it.

All too soon, three o'clock had rolled around, and it was time for her to leave. Megan and Annie boarded the train and quickly found an empty compartment. Zacharias and Hannah soon joined them, much to Annie's dismay. The train slowly pulled away from Hogsmeade station.

"It feels so weird," Hannah sighed, leaning back against the cushy blue seat.

"What does?" Annie asked. Megan's arms were folded tightly against her chest, and she was looking anywhere but at her sister.

"Leaving," Hannah elaborated. "In just a few hours, we'll be home for two weeks. No Hogwarts, no common room, no-" she broke off, exchanging looks with Zacharias and giggling. Megan dug her nails into her palms, wanting to throw something at her sister. A glance at Annie told her that her best friend felt the same way. They both knew that their siblings were baiting them, and both refused to play along. Finally, Hannah let out an irritated sigh, and turned to have a private conversation with Zacharias. Annie and Megan exchanged amused glances, then started a game of Exploding Snap that lasted for the majority of the train ride.

The ride passed quickly, and the girls soon found themselves pulling into the snow covered Platform 9 ¾. Megan looked at her best friend, and saw her blue eyes glossed over. The reality of the situation hit them, and soon they were hugging each other and crying.

"It's only two weeks," Annie sniffed. Megan nodded.

"And we'll write."

"Definitely."

"Are you two quite finished?" Zacharias inquired snidely. The two girls pulled back from each other mopping their eyes. Hannah and Zacharias were staring at them, identical repulsed expressions on each of their faces.

"We're coming," Annie said, her annoyance clear in her voice. She and Megan pulled their bags off the rack and exited the compartment and the train, leaving their siblings to trail after them. The two of them stood on the platform, searching for their families. Megan spotted Annie's parents first, and her own next to them. She pointed them out to her friend, who nodded and led the way.

"Hi, Mum," Megan greeted her mother warily.

"Hi, sweetheart," her mother said warmly, pulling her into a warm hug. _Of course_, Megan thought to herself. Appearances were very important to Lexa Abbott, so naturally, she'd put on a show of the perfect parent. But her daughters knew better.

"I've missed you, Monkey," her father said, taking her from her mother and holding onto her shoulders to take a good look at her. Megan giggled. Her father had always called her his Monkey, and Hannah was always Kitten, for reasons unknown. It was an undisputed fact that Landon Abbott was the best father around. Sure, Annie's parents were great, but Arlynn and Jasper Smith were high ranked Ministy officials, and were always busy. Megan's parents were Muggles, and her father was a web designer, so he was always there for her and Hannah when her mother was having another bad spell. Those had happened more and more in the months before Megan and Hannah left for Hogwarts. She hoped that it wouldn't happen during Christmas Holidays.

"Hi, Daddy," Hannah greeted their father. He picked her up and swung her around. Megan took a step back, not wanting to be hit. Her father had always treated her like an adult. It was plain to anyone that Hannah was his little girl, but Megan was his favorite. She was the serious one, the one who understood the adult things that her father told her. She understood him when he told her that he couldn't afford her birthday that year. She understood when he said that she'd have to go stay with Annie for a while, because her mother needed help again.

"Come on, girls," her father said, gesturing to them. "Say your goodbyes so we can leave."

"Bye," Hannah said tearfully, throwing herself at Zacharias. He appeared surprised, but hugged her apprehensively. Annie gave Megan a quick hug, and the two of them giggled at her brother's expression of utmost shock. Finally, Mrs Smith pulled Annie and Zacharias away from the Abbotts toward the barrier. Megan decided that it was time for her family to go too. She and Hannah each took the hand of a parent and led them through the barrier back to Muggle London. Once on the other side, their father led the family toward their old, battered Ford Anglia. It had once been a charming blue color, with buttery leather seats. Now, at 15 years old, the little car seemed fit for naught but a junkyard. Its blue enamel had worn away completely in some places, leaving large patches of rust. The seats were worn, even ripped in some places with the stuffing coming out. But Megan loved it. At the age of eight, she had even christened it Floyd. Hannah hated the car, saying it was a disgrace to the family, but Megan thought it had character. Her father held open her mother's door, and then went over to his own side to start the engine. It spluttered and coughed for a few minutes, but no one in the car worried. This was part of Floyd's starting up routine. The coughing died down into a hum. The car had started, and it was time for Megan to return to her home. She and Hannah climbed into the back, buckled up, and her father pulled out of the station.

"What went on at your school," her father asked, keeping his eyes trained straight ahead.

"Megan has a boyfriend," Hannah blurted out, before Megan had a chance to say anything.

"What?" their mother whipped around in her seat, her voice shrill. Both girls cringed, Hannah appearing to regret having said anything at all. Megan agreed. Information like that was best saved for alone time with their father. Their mother was much too... unstable to trust with information of that nature.

"Nothing," Megan said quickly. "Hannah was just joking, right Hannie?"

"Y-yeah," Hannah stammered. The two girls had had their lying techniques perfected by the age of four, but Hannah's were a bit rusty. Luckily, their mother bought it. She turned back around to face the front, her chest still heaving.

"That was close," Megan hissed to her sister. Hannah nodded fervently. Neither girl spoke again for the rest of the car ride, for fear of sending their mother to a point from which she couldn't be brought back.

Finally, their dad pulled into their... driveway? This wasn't the house that Megan was accustomed to. Her house was a small, brown, one story with shingles missing from the roof. This house was a pretty, buttercup yellow one story with a light brown front door and sky blue shutters on the window.

"Who's house is this?" Hannah gasped delightedly.

"Ours," their father answered proudly.

"That's great," Megan said softly, directing a pointed glance at her father. She would talk to him about affording it later. But how would they? They could barely afford the other house, and that one was falling apart. How would they be able to pay for this one? This house was actually something that humans could live in, for a change, but something told her that they wouldn't be staying there for long. _Please, let us be able to keep the house_, Megan prayed silently. _I'll take back anything I've ever said or thought about Mother, if only we can stay here. There might actually be a slight chance of her getting better if we can stay here. There's no bad memories here. Nothing to scare her. Just please let us stay here. _

"Come on, Monkey!" her father called. "Are you planning on staying out there all night?" Megan jerked her head up, noticing that her family had already exited the car and were heading toward the house. She picked up her bag, unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, and climbed out, slamming it behind her. She knew how badly Floyd's doors stuck. She followed her family through the front door into the new house. It was clean, surprisingly enough. "Your bedroom is through there," her father told her, pointing down the hall to a door. "And Kitten's is right across from it." A thrill of excitement went through Megan's chest at this news. Her own room! She'd never gotten her very own room before. She and Hannah had always had to share at the old house, because of a lack of space. Hannah followed her down the gleaming hallway to the doors. Megan turned right, her sister left. She pushed open the door to her very own room, and found a normal girl's room. It wasn't crowded like her old room, in fact, it actually had extra space in case she needed it. She quickly put her stuff away and glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 6:30. Dinnertime back at Hogwarts. She wondered if her father had made dinner, or if she'd have to scrounge for herself. A quick sniff through her open door confirmed the former. The last time her father had made dinner was the night before she and Hannah had left for Hogwarts.

Dinner was a silent affair. Her father tried to make conversation, but there were so few topics that he could bring up without upsetting his wife that he just gave up. Megan and Hannah ate quickly, hoping to get back to the peace and solitude of their rooms before the inevitable meltdown that was sure to follow dinner. But no meltdown came. They made it back to their rooms, and listened for the sounds of crying. There were none. Instead, from the kitchen floated the unmistakable sounds of laughter. Their mother's laughter. Maybe she truly was getting better. With that thought in their minds, the girls got ready for bed.

Megan got up at about 11:30 that night. She needed a drink of water, and had forgotten to bring a glass to bed with her. She slipped out of her bed and tiptoed past her sister's room and her parents' room, hoping not to wake anybody. Her luck held, and she made it to the living room without hearing a sound. The living room door was ajar, and she paused by it, hoping that no one was awake. No such luck. Her heart sank. From the living room was coming the unmistakable sound of crying. Her mother's crying. She'd relapsed. Again. Megan tiptoed to her sister's room, opening the door quietly.

"Hannah," she hissed. Her sister sat up.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

"Mother's crying," Megan sighed sadly. Hannah threw her covers off, suddenly wide awake.

"You know the drill, Meg."

"Yes." Together, the girls tiptoed out to the living room, slipping through the door.

"You!" Lexa screamed the minute she saw her daughter. Megan's heart sank. Her mother hadn't forgotten. Of course she hadn't.

"It's okay, Mummy," Hannah soothed, sitting beside her mother on the sofa.

"It's her fault!" Lexa screamed. "It's her fault that I'm like this! She's a witch! She can make my back better! But she won't! It's her fault!" Megan stepped back, preparing to run at the next insult. "I hate you," her mother spat. "And I never want to see you again, you ungrateful little brat!" That was it. Megan spun on her heel and dashed for her room, the sound of her mother's sobs and cruel words following her.

-o-O-o-

Soon enough, it was Christmas Eve. Following that was Christmas Day. Megan got up to the sounds of Hannah squealing from her room, and dashed down the hall to the living room, her sister at her heels. They skidded into the living room, and stopped dead. Both of their parents were sitting on the sofa next to the tinsel covered Christmas tree. On the end table was a plate of assorted muffins. Megan and Hannah each took one and settled on the floor next to the tree. They munched muffins and opened their presents all morning.

"What's this?" Hannah asked, pulling out a tiny gift wrapped in silver paper from behind the tree. "Meg, it's addressed to you." Megan's eyes widened, but she took the tiny package. "Open it," her sister pressed. Megan shot her a dirty look, and slowly proceeded to fold the paper back, revealing a small jewelry box. She lifted the lid, and gasped at the contents. Inside was a pretty necklace. It had a disc in the middle, with a pearl in the center. Around the disc was an inscription. It readsimply _Megan. _

"Oh," her father gasped. "It's lovely, Monkey. Who gave it to you?" Megan examined the box. On the bottom was a small note. It read: _I saw this in a shop, and it reminded me of you. The shopkeeper told me that Megan means pearl. Happy Christmas._ There was no name. She showed her father.

"Look," Hannah gasped. She took the box from her sister and turned it over. There, on the bottom, was inscribed two letters in the same beautiful script as the note. _SA. _Secret Admirer. Who could that be?

-o-O-o-

The days passed quickly, and soon it was December 30th. Megan and Hannah would be going back to school the next day. The air was crisp outdoors, but the sky was clear. Megan grabbed her coat from the hook next to the front door and hurried outside. She walked down the road, enjoying the cold air that bit at her cheeks. This would probably be her last free moment until tomorrow on the train, and she was determined to enjoy it. She glanced down at the snow beneath her boots, and wasn't watching where she was going. The sudden impact sent her on her rear in the snow.

"Watch it," the innocent bystander sniped.

"Sorry," she said breathlessly, standing up and dusting herself off.

"Megan?" the person said, their tone surprised and achingly familiar. Megan slowly looked up, afraid if what she might see. Sure enough, she was staring straight into the gray eyes of Draco Malfoy.


	8. In which there is too much Draco

**A/N: I didn't think I'd be able to get this out on time, due to... certain events, but I was wrong. Dedicated to XxX Fred Weasley's Wife XxX for being the first person to put this story on story alert. Please review.**

She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. Not with him standing there staring at her. Now, Megan Abbott may have been a Gryffindor, but at that moment, she did the most Slytherin thing possible. She turned around and ran. No asking him why he was there. No greeting. Nothing. Just her feet leaving tracks in the snow.

Megan dashed into her house and slammed the door behind her.

"Don't do that!" her mother's voice wailed from the kitchen. Megan sighed. Her mother was having a tough time again. Sometimes Megan just wished she'd disappear. Then she felt disloyal for thinking that.

"Sorry!" she called back, not really sorry at all.

"Supper's ready!" her father announced. The Abbotts sat down to their last family dinner before Megan and Hannah would be going back to school. The twins ate in silence, casting fearful looks at their mother. Anything could set her off at any given time, and they needed to be ready to run if and when it did. Soon enough, it happened. Lexa ate a bite of steaming hot potatoes. They burned her mouth, so she started crying and screaming and carrying on. Megan and Hannah fled to their rooms.

-o-O-o-

Megan shut the front passenger side door of the car. Hannah got out on the other side, but in the back, along with their mother. Her father got the bags and they all walked through the barrier, dreading the moment of goodbye.

"Goodbye," Megan said, hugging her father tightly. She ignored her mother.

"Goodbye, Monkey. Take care of your sister for me, okay?"

"I will," Megan lied, then stepped onto the scarlet engine. She searched the halls until she found Annie sitting in an otherwise empty compartment. Megan sat down across from her friend, and looked at her parents on the platform. She looked at her mother, and was suddenly filled with a sense of dread. Somehow, she knew that this was the last time that they would ever come face to face.

"Megan!" Annie exclaimed. Megan got the feeling that this wasn't the first time that her best friend had said her name.

"Sorry," she apologized quickly. "What were you saying?" Annie rolled her eyes.

"How was your Christmas? Mine was alright. That's a nice necklace. Who's it from?" she said all of this very fast.

"Mum had a few of her spells again," Megan said slowly. Annie grimaced sympathetically. She knew all about Lexa Abbott and her psycho spells. "Other then the Christmas was okay. The necklace was a gift."

"A gift? From who?"

"There wasn't a name. Someone signed it SA on the bottom of the box. I'll show you later."

"SA?" Annie squealed, all of her previous annoyance forgotten. "Megs, you have a Secret Admirer! Tell me everything!" And Megan did. She told Annie everything, even about her meeting with Draco and her flight from it. Annie's eyes widened throughout the story, until Megan got to the part where she ran away from Draco. That was when she burst out into giggles.

"You ran away?" she laughed. Megan blushed and nodded.

"You would've too!" she protested. "He was just standing there, with his hair all touseled and his cheeks all rosy like he'd been running. I didn't want to embarrass myself, so I ran away!" Annie stopped laughing, her mouth drawing together at the corners.

"You didn't want to embarrass yourself in front of him?" she gasped. Megan nodded, confused. What was the big deal? "You like him!" Megan blanched.

"I do not!" she protested, feeling offended. How could anyone like that pompous prat? "Why would you say that?"

"Think about it," Annie said slowly, as if she was explaining something to a very small child. "You get all red when I mention his name. You didn't want to embarrass yourself in front of him. _You like him._ Just admit it. It's not all that hard."

"Annie!" Megan exclaimed, shocked. "Stop it!"

"What?" Annie fired back. "It's true! You just want me to stop because you don't like what I'm saying!"

"Shut up!" Megan stood up from her seat and marched out the door, slamming it behind her. She stumbled down the corridors, half blinded by tears. She and Annie had fought more this year then they ever had in the entire history of their friendship. She opened the door to the first empty compartment she saw and staggered inside, flinging herself down on the seat. She was too busy crying to hear the compartment door slowly creak open and closed.

"Megan?" a soft voice asked. Megan lifted her head. Draco was standing there, an ashamed look on his face. She scrambled away into the corner of the seat, feeling almost like a cornered animal.

"Go away," she whispered, not really having the strength to argue at the moment. He seemed to sense this, and didn't leave, instead coming to sit next to her.

"What's the matter?" he asked, in a strangely soothing tone. She shook her head.

"Why would I tell you?"

"Because you can trust me." Megan let out a strangled laugh.

"Trust _you_?" she said incredulously. "Why?" Draco shrugged.

"You trust my sister, don't you?" She thought it over, then reluctantly admitted that yes, she did. "So that means you can trust me by extension," he reasoned. Megan had to admit, he had a good point.

"Annie and I had another fight," she said quietly, almost unable to believe she was doing this. Draco frowned.

"Another? Why?"

"She was falsely accusing me of something." Draco scooted closer to her. She found herself not caring.

"What did she accuse you of?" Megan gulped.

"Liking you," she answered softly.

"And what did you say?" Draco asked, his voice so low she could barely hear it.

"I said I didn't," she admitted. He moved away from her like he'd had an electric shock.

"I see," he said coldly. "I suppose you want me to leave now. Good day."

"No," Megan told him, her voice trembling. "I want to try to be your friend." Draco whipped back around, his gray eyes blazing with an unrecognizable fire.

"Really?" he asked, unable to believe his ears. Megan just nodded.

-o-O-o-

"Today's the first day back. What should I wear?" Annie paced back and forth across the floor of their dormitory, talking more to herself then Megan. Megan grinned, glad to have her best friend back. Annie had hunted her down after the feast, and had apologized profusely. Now things between the two Gryffindors were back to normal. Annie tore through her closet, trying to find her robes that she was already wearing.

"You look fine," Megan told her, trying to get her friend to calm down just the slightest bit. She really didn't understand what it was with Annie and clothes. Megan was simply dressed in her uniform, with her SA necklace as her only accessory, and she was perfectly comfortable.

"You think so?" Annie asked anxiously, blue eyes wide."Then let's go down."

"She's finally ready," Megan mumbled, before following her friend down to breakfast.

-o-O-o-

The next day, Annie woke up in the morning and was feeling very ill. Megan, being the person that she was, took her friend to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey insisted that Annie stay there for the morning, so Megan headed off to class by herself.

She sat down in Charms just before the bell rang. Flitwick tapped the chalkboard a few times with his wand, and words appeared for the students to copy down. Out of the corner of her eye, Megan saw the door slowly swing open. Had Madame Pomfrey let Annie out early? Maybe not. Draco walked through the door, trying yet failing to go unnoticed.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Professor," he said in an apologetic tone.

"That's twenty points from Slytherin. Go take the seat next to Miss Abbott," Flitwick said sternly. Draco hung his head in shame and walked over to Megan's seat, sliding in next to her. _Some girls would kill to be in my position,_ Megan thought ruefully to herself. _Or maybe not kill. After all, it's only Draco. They'd probably maim instead._ Girls like Pansy Parkinson, who was shooting Megan death rays out of her eyeballs.

"Megan," Draco whispered, nudging her arm.

"Yeah?" she whispered back, keeping her eyes on her notes so Flitwck would think she was working.

"Can I borrow a piece of parchment?" Megan carefully extracted one and handed it to him, blushing when her hand made contact with his.

For the rest of class, Megan tried to concentrate, but found it hard to do with Draco sitting next to her. It wasn't that he was doing anything to her, because he wasn't. He was just taking notes. But there was something about his presence that made a fiery blush creep up and stain her cheeks. She looked over at him. Draco was concentrating intently on copying down the notes from the board. His pale blond hair looked just as perfect as always. He looked almost cute, with the sunlight glinting off of his hair. Then Megan mentally slapped herself. No. She could never call him that. She could never call him that, even if it was to save her own life.

-o-O-o-

"Megan!" Annie exclaimed at lunch.

"Annie, you're looking much better!" Megan commented cheerfully.

"Yeah. So, what did I miss in class?"

"Well, I had to sit next to Draco for all of Charms. Other then that, not much at all." Annie's eyes sparkled, but she held her tongue.

"Why did you have to sit next to him?" she asked instead.

"Professor Flitwick sent him to sit next to me because he came in late. It was more of a punishment for me then it was for him. How was the Hospital Wing?"

"Very boring," her friend replied, grimacing. The girls talked about meaningless subjects for the rest of the meal.

-o-O-o-

Inside the cool interior of the Library, Rose sat at a table, writing something. Megan approached her and sat down.

"Hi, Megan," Rose said serenely, putting away her parchment.

"Hi, Rose," Megan replied, smiling. "How was Christmas?" It took a while for the Slytherin to respond. When she did, it was only to say,

"It was alright. How was yours?"

"Fine." Megan watched as Rose's best friend Lily squeezed through the Library doors, wrinkling her nose at the smell of old books.

"Hi, Rosie!" she said brightly. "Hi, Abbott!"

"What's up, Lil?" Rose asked, grinning at her friend.

"Jules needs you in the Commons. Says it's an emergency."

"What's wrong?" Rose asked, concerned.

"Dunno. She just told me that she needed to talk to you about something."

"I'm on it." Rose slipped out of the Library, presumably in the direction of her Common Room. Now Megan was left alone with Lily. She chewed her lip nervously.

"So, Megan Abbott," Lily said. Megan jumped.

"Yes?" she asked, somewhat fearfully.

"Do you know a girl in third year named Leona Gryffin?"


	9. In which I'll probably die

**A/N: I'M SO SORRY! *ducks to avoid flying fruit* Tales of Hogwarts will not be updated until at least December 1st, due to NaNoWriMo. Thanks for your patience!**


	10. In which SA returns Sort of

**A/N: I is back! And I talk good American! Sorry, I'm just so happy NaNoWriMo's over! Oh, and since I always have to do this… Dedicated to EmmyHiggs, cause she's my super awesome IRL best friend. Love you!**

**Beth would just like to add that she spent a whole month on this chapter and if I mess it up she'll kill me. Luv ya too, Bethy. Gads.**

Megan was sitting on a bench at breakfast next to Annie. It was Saturday, the 28th of February. Today was also the Quidditch Match against Hufflepuff. Against Hannah's house. Megan gulped. Would she be able to do it? Somehow, she doubted herself. It was nearly impossible to imagine herself scoring and winning against Hufflepuff. They were said to have a good defense, although their offense was said to not be so great. Oh well. Gryffindor's offense was amazing, but their defense…? Not so much. In fact, it was downright awful. And Megan was nearly ashamed to admit that she was on the team. She pushed her eggs around her plate. The girl was nervous, which did absolutely nothing to help her appetite.

"Megan, you need to eat. I swear, I will force-feed you," Annie threatened her friend, her tone scolding and disapproving. Megan speared a miniscule egg with her fork and shoved it in her mouth. She opened her mouth, chewed, and swallowed so that her friend could see. Annie wrinkled her nose.

"See? I'm eating," Megan retorted. "No force feeding necessary." Her petite blond friend shoved her, giggling.

"You're going to become anorexic," she scolded. "Eat a whole bagel. Now." Megan scowled at her friend, but grabbed a buttery bagel off the table and began to eat it in tiny bites, Annie watching her every move like a hawk.

-o-O-o-

Megan walked out of the Gryffindor changing room with the other members of her team, Her scarlet and gold robes blew out behind her, and she felt the chill wind with every step as it raked through her long brown hair. She shivered, clutching her Cleansweep 9 more tightly in her right hand. All nine members of the team entered the sandy ground of the Quidditch Pitch. It was slick and nearly covered with ice. Megan slipped, and nearly lost her footing, but a hand from Oliver under her elbow kept her upright. She looked up at the handsome fifth year and blushed a dark red, embarrassed.

"Careful, now," Oliver cautioned her, his Scottish accent thick. "We don't want you to go slipping away on this nasty ice, now do we?" Megan could only shake her head, not trusting her voice. She mounted her broom and kicked off. The game began.

A seventh year girl on Hufflepuff named Christina Flores caught the Quaffle and sped off towards Oliver, who was guarding the Gryffindor goal hoops. Fred knocked the big red ball out of her hands with a well-aimed Bludger. Megan watched, frozen, as the Quaffle plummeted toward the ground. She knew she should go get it. But it seemed that she'd fall if she tried to move.

"Bell is quick to pick up the Quaffle and pass it to Spinnet. Spinnet is speeding off toward the goals, passes to Bell, who passes it back. Gryffindor scores!" Lee Jordan was dancing around the commentator's box, always just out of the grasp of a pretty girl. Megan cursed internally at herself. She could've been part of that play! But no, she had to freeze up like some amateur.

Christina Flores caught the Quaffle from the Hufflepuff keeper and immediately tossed it to another seventh year named Eric Sanchez, a tall, burly boy with a shock of ginger hair. He tried to pass it back, but he lost his grip and it fell into Katie Bell's awaiting arms. Megan's brain kicked into high gear, and she sped downwards. Katie passed it to her, and she took off down the pitch. Alicia came up on her right side, Katie on her left. Unfortunately, Alicia, being Gryffindor's best scorer, was being heavily guarded, so Megan passed the Quaffle to Katie, who took a shot and scored.

Gryffindor scored three more times during the game, and Hufflepuff scored twice. The score was 50 to 20, and Gryffindor was in the lead. Eric Sanchez had just scored once more, bringing the score to 50 to 30. Wood passed the Quaffle to Megan, and she was searching for Alicia so she could pass it.

"Potter has caught the snitch, beating Hufflepuff Seeker Cedric Diggory!" Lee Jordan yelled into the microphone. The pretty girl was smacking his arm, an annoyed look on her face. "And this has been your commentators."

"That's Lee Jordan, and I'm Jordyn Lee," the girl said, yanking the microphone away from Lee. "And since he didn't let me commentate at all, I'm doing the next game." Megan let the Quaffle drop and flew down to the ground to join her team.

"You did great!" Oliver shouted, scooping her up in a hug and kissing her cheek. "Good job, midget!" Megan blushed a deep scarlet, hanging on for dear life.

"I'm almost twelve," she said, laughing. "And put me down!" The Gryffindor Captain set her down gently, still beaming proudly like a fond older brother. She grinned back up at him, before being swept into other hugs from Alicia and Katie.

"You're awesome, Abbott," Katie laughed. "I claim you as my ickle teddy bear squishy." Alicia frowned mock-angrily at her friend.

"That's not fair," she said, giggling. "I was going to do that."

"You can share me?" Megan suggested. The girls looked at her like she was insane.

"No!" they said in unison, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Who does that anymore?" Megan shrugged, and then left her team to go find Annie. She didn't have to walk far. The two girls bumped into each other outside the Gryffindor changing rooms. They walked together to lunch, laughing and chattering about the match.

"You did awesome today!" Annie exclaimed, bouncing along next to her friend. "Wood even hugged you!"

"I know!" Megan exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "He kissed me on the cheek, too." Annie squealed in response and they continued bouncing along on their way to lunch, discussing the highlights of the game.

-o-O-o-

Megan wandered outside, the frigid air surprisingly refreshing. It was March 14th, and she was ready for Easter Holidays. Unfortunately, they wouldn't begin for another three to five weeks. It felt nice, as opposed to staying cooped up in the castle all day long.

Thud… Thud… Thud…

Megan spun around, looking for the source of the noise. To her left, another snowball smacked against the tree with a thud. Megan watched as another snowball was thrown. She whipped her head around, her long hair flying in all directions as she looked in the direction of where the flying projectile came from. Standing about five or six feet away was blond haired, gray eyed, pale-faced Draco Malfoy. Megan sidled over and leaned against a nearby tree.

"Hey, stranger," she greeted him, smiling shyly. "Haven't seen you about lately." Draco jumped, whirling around and slipping on the icy ground.

"Megan! Hi! What are you doing out here?" Megan giggled, sliding over to where he was standing and putting a hand on his elbow to steady him.

"I was just taking a walk," she explained. "It's much better then staying in the castle all day. What brings you out here on this freezing cold afternoon?" Draco shrugged, seeming not to notice her hand on his elbow.

"I just… I came out here because I needed to be alone and think things through." Megan stepped back as if she'd been slapped.

"I'll just go then," she suggested, her tone a little stung. She turned ready to go, but Draco grabbed her arm.

"Don't go," he pleaded. Megan turned and looked into his eyes. He smiled hopefully at her. "Please?" She smiled slowly back at him. _There's something different about him,_ she thought once again. Megan hoped she wasn't going mental. The two children stayed out, having a snowball fight, until both had noses that were as red as cherries and they couldn't feel their fingers.

-o-O-o-

After dinner on March 16th, Megan sat in the common room, putting the finishing touches on her essay for McGonagall. When it was completed, she gathered her things together and went up the spiral staircase to her dormitory. She changed into a magenta tank top and long pajama pants, even though it was technically too cold for a tank top. She went into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and then went back into the dormitory. Megan was pulling back her covers when she found a piece of parchment sitting on her pillow. It was folded neatly in half, and her name was written on it in tidy cursive. Megan studied the handwriting closely, but didn't recognize it as anyone she knew. She opened up the letter and looked down to the signature. The letter was signed "SA." Again! Megan started to read her letter, but she was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and Becca walked in.

"Hey, great game today," she said, grinning.

"Thanks." Slowly, the other girls trickled in, and Megan knew she would never be able to look at her letter that night. She tucked it away into her school bag and fell asleep.

-o-O-o-

Megan woke up early on March 19th, and went down to breakfast. She pulled the letter from her bag. It was still in the same perfect condition that it had been the night before. She looked around to see if anyone else had gotten up early, like she had, and was watching her. She sighed in relief when she discovered that the Hall was relatively deserted except for a few sixth years. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and she whirled around, hiding the letter.

"You're up early," Draco greeted her, grinning. It was a bizarre expression to see on his face. Megan didn't like it. It wasn't like Draco to be happy. _Why?_ Megan thought. _Why do I always have to be the one that he comes over and picks on? Out of all the horrid girls at this school, why me?_

"Nothing that concerns you," Megan snapped. Her words came out a bit more harshly then she'd intended. "Why are you up so early, anyway?"

"Why do you care?" he asked defensively.

"It was just a question," she muttered mutinously. Draco sneered at her, then turned away and sat down at the Slytherin table.


End file.
